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H1N1 Situation Update - October 6, 2009

Thu Oct 08 09:49:00 CDT 2009

The Internet and e-mail offer unprecedented access to information. It is always important to verify the accuracy of what you read. This is especially true regarding electronic information coming to you about H1N1. Currently there is an email circulating that suggests physicians from a prominent hospital have told their staff to not get vaccinated with the H1N1 vaccine because of the associated risk of Guillain-Barre’ Syndrome (GBS). To date, just from the e-mails forwarded to me, hospitals (all part of a hospital chain spanning  4 different states) have been identified as entities which discourage the vaccine. When public health officials have checked with these hospitals, the response was clear. The hospitals did not discourage getting vaccinated; instead, these hospitals have gone on record saying that they would like to make the H1N1 vaccinations mandatory for their employees. So, this week, let’s take a look at some claims in forwarded e-mail.

The central theme is that by getting the H1N1 vaccine you put yourself at risk for GBS. This is a neurological disorder that causes paralysis. This claim can be traced to what was called the swine flu epidemic predicted in the 1970s. This swine flu was not the same swine flu; the 1970s flu was not the H1N1 virus we are currently experiencing. At that time, there was a nation-wide vaccination campaign, and some individuals did have a reaction to that particular vaccine. Ultimately, research demonstrated that the incidence of GBS increased among those who were vaccinated by 1 in every 100,000 people. Because the current H1N1 outbreak was initially referred to as swine flu, an association was assumed by some, and questions have been raised about the current H1N1 vaccine. The 1970s swine flu vaccine is not the same H1N1 vaccine currently available.

The H1N1 vaccine is prepared the same way as seasonal flu vaccine. This process is well-tested over time and is very safe. Clinical trials of the H1N1 vaccine have indicated it is just as safe as seasonal flu vaccine. The clinical trials are about safety, but clinical trials are also essential to determine the correct components that are needed in the vaccine in order to produce immunity. I am unaware of any reports of GBS associated with this vaccine. The only reason H1N1 is not in our current seasonal flu vaccine is because it came on the scene too late to be included; H1N1 will be in next year’s seasonal flu vaccine.  Each year, those viruses public health officials think will be present during flu season are put into the seasonal flu vaccine. Usually their predictions are correct; sometimes an unexpected virus, such as H1N1, turns up out there. Because H1N1 is a new virus and no one has immunity from previous exposure, public health officials determined they needed to go ahead and make an additional vaccine specific to H1N1.

Seasonal flu vaccine, as with H1N1 vaccine, is cultured in eggs. So, the only contraindications or reasons to not get the vaccine are a true allergy to eggs (as in severe reaction like anaphylaxis) or a severe allergic reaction to previous seasonal flu vaccine. The benefits of the vaccine far outweigh the risks. I intend to get it and am encouraging all my family members to get it. As the H1N1 Incident Commander on campus, I am also encouraging our entire campus community to get it.

In some of the e-mails I’ve received there is an addendum from a physician associated with a nutritional supplement company. He is adamantly opposed to the H1N1 vaccine and uses his profession as the basis for scare tactics to make his point. One issue he speaks to is the inclusion of an adjuvant to the vaccine. This is a product intended to boost the immune response. There is nothing new, suspicious, or unusual about an adjuvant; it is used routinely in vaccines. These types of advertisements tend to appeal to people’s fears or concerns, and then the ads propose their supplement instead. Good nutrition is always helpful in recovering from and preventing illness, but it cannot replace the vaccine. Caution should be exercised regarding these types of advertisements.

Another ruse these e-mails use to make them seem credible is to embed links to reputable organizations such as the National Institutes of Health (NIH) neurological disorders institute. After a thorough search of that site, I found nothing about H1N1 vaccine, swine flu vaccine, or anything else vaccine-related in connection with GBS. There was a three-paragraph article on GBS itself, and in that article there was not even a single allusion to H1N1 vaccine.

Hopefully, this discussion will assist you as you evaluate e-mails or other electronic information about the H1N1 vaccine. As our community-wide mass immunization clinic on October 29 approaches, I will give you more information on the vaccine and the clinic.

As always, if you have H1N1, or someone you know on campus has H1N1, please use our on-line reporting system to tell us. Here is the link: ASU-H1N1 Flu Prevention and Reporting. This helps us know who needs assistance as well as helping us track the number of cases that exist within our campus community. There are many links on our H1N1 site that provide you with vital information. Most of the answers to questions you may have can be found at those links. Should you need more information, please contact the Student Health Center at (870) 972-2054, the Department of Student Affairs at (870) 972-3355, or me (dpersell@astate.edu, at 870-972-3074).

Dr. Deborah Persell, the author of this H1N1 update, is an associate professor of Nursing in ASU's College of Nursing and Health Professions, coordinator of the Regional Center for Disaster Preparedness Education, and an expert in Emergency Management and Homeland Security. Contact Dr. Persell (dpersell@astate.edu) at (870) 972-3074.

Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention at http://www.cdc.gov/H1N1flu/qa.htm
for questions and answers about 2009's H1N1 flu.